For one night anyway, unit reverses trend of allowing opponents to convert

If the Bears continue to get off the field on third down, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will not be headed back to the coaches' box anytime soon.

Tucker joined the players on the sideline Monday during the 27-20 victory at Lambeau Field, and while troubling aspects of the defense persist, the Bears solved — for one night any way — a disturbing trend on third down.

The Bears entered 28th in the NFL on third down, allowing opponents to convert 44 percent, and they consistently held the momentum in the upset by slamming the door on third down, particularly in the second half.

Why has the defense been so porous on third down? The anemic pass rush is a good place to start. The defense also has struggled on first and second down, allowing opponents an abundance of short third-down conversions. Opponents were 13-for-16 on third-and-1 and 21-for-28 on third-and-3 or less. The Packers moved the chains on only 1 of 9 third downs and had just two attempts of less than 5 yards.

Defensive end Shea McClellin knocked out Aaron Rodgers on the first third down of the game, driving his left shoulder into the turf on a sack and leaving the quarterback with a fractured collarbone.

McClellin forced backup Seneca Wallace out of the pocket, where he threw the ball away to avoid a sack on third-and-6 in the third quarter. Peppers deflected the next third-down throw when the Packers needed 5 yards at midfield at the start of the fourth quarter. McClellin's second sack came on third-and-3 from the Bears 40 with 10 minutes remaining.

They call it the money down, and the Bears made theirs here. They hope it's the start of a trend for a unit that traditionally has been good when given the opportunity to get the ball back.

Here's what else we learned upon further review:

Grading key: Grades are between 0 and 10, with 0 being complete failure and 10 being perfect.

Defensive line

Grade: 7

The line totaled only four sacks through the first seven games but came up with five as McClellin had a career performance with three and Peppers and Corey Wootton each had one. McClellin's speed and athletic ability stood out. He had the awareness to find Rodgers on the first sack after the quarterback had rolled out. He used a spin move to badly beat Marshall Newhouse for the second and was relentless in getting the third. The former first-round pick has been under pressure, and he delivered. Peppers overwhelmed rookie David Bakhtiari at times and tipped a Wallace pass to himself for an interception. While the ends made impact plays, the line was the first area of concern as the Packers rolled up 199 rushing yards. Tackle Stephen Paea was guilty of missing some tackles.

Linebackers

Grade: 2

The first game without weak-side linebacker Lance Briggs, out with a small fracture in his left shoulder, wasn't a smooth experience. The Packers had 17 carries for 129 yards against the base defense as James Starks had a 32-yard touchdown and Eddie Lacy ripped off a 56-yard run. On Starks' touchdown, James Anderson was fooled by the counter lead draw, and fullback John Kuhn came through the hole surprised with no one to block until free safety Chris Conte more than 15 yards downfield. Anderson had a sure interception go through his hands. Playing in place of Briggs, Khaseem Greene hustled, but the drop-off was significant.

Cornerbacks

Grade: 7

This was the only unit that was solid in run support, and you usually can say that about Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman. With Rodgers out, their night became easier. There were no deep balls, a problem in recent games, and the 27-yard strike to Jordy Nelson while Rodgers was still in appeared to be more on Conte than a cornerback.

Safeties

Grade: 1

The Bears said the poor performance by Conte and Major Wright in the last game at Washington was the first time both had struggled. Their issues surfaced again. Conte was out of position on Starks' touchdown, and Wright was out of control and lost his footing on Lacy's long run. Conte did a nice job covering Nelson in the end zone on the play McClellin injured Rodgers, but this is a growing trouble spot. Wright dived and missed on multiple attempts to bring Lacy down.

Quarterback

Grade: 8

Josh McCown has been turnover-free for six quarters in place of Jay Cutler. His athleticism was apparent on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall when he twisted away from Mike Neal, and he made the only throw he could to a well-covered Alshon Jeffery on a 6-yard touchdown pass. His 20-yard scramble before halftime set up a chip-shot field goal for Robbie Gould.

Offensive line

Grade: 7

Packers defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett got some push, but they're big bodies that make that happen on a weekly basis. McCown had time to operate, and there were plenty of consistent holes for Matt Forte, especially on the 18-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 8 minutes, 58 seconds to ice the game.